Asshat Of The Week

U.S. Representative Nathan Deal, a Repugnant candidate for governor of Georgia, has proposed changing the long-standing federal policy that automatically grants citizenship to any baby born on United States soil.

Naturally, this move is opposed by immigrant rights advocates who say it won't solve the illegal immigration problem and goes against America's history of welcoming immigrants.

However, those fools who support Deal’s proposal say “birthright citizenship” encourages illegal immigration and makes enforcement of immigration laws more difficult.

Birthright citizenship is one of the ways this country was built; but not for those filthy Mexicans--because let's face it, if the influx of illegal immigration was from Canada, Deal wouldn't have an issue with this. It's outright bigotry.

Though drafted in 1868 with freed slaves in mind, birthright citizenship is enshrined in the 14th Amendment, which says: “All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside.”

Deal and his supporters say the 14th Amendment wording was never meant to automatically give citizenship to babies born to illegal immigrants.

“This is a sensible, overdue measure that closes a clause that was never meant to be a loophole,” said Bob Dane, spokesman for the Federation for American Immigration Reform, which seeks tighter immigration restrictions.

I'm all for tighter immigration reforms, but when you still have Wet Foot, Dry Foot in Florida, how is that any different from birthright citizenship. For those who don't know, Wet Foot, Dry Foot refers to those who enter this country illegally via boat or pontoon or life raft. If they can get one foot on US soil, they are allowed to stay. They make a deliberate run to enter this country illegally and are allowed to stay, but a baby born here is treated far worse?

Azadeh Shahshahani, director of the Immigrants Rights Project of the American Civil Liberties Union of Georgia, said “We would stand in strong opposition to this bill as it’s in fundamental contradiction to our nation’s long history of welcoming immigrants and bestowing inalienable rights” on all people born here, regardless of the circumstances of their birth.

Lisa Navarrete, vice president of the National Council of La Raza, a Hispanic advocacy group, said the proposed law wouldn’t stem illegal immigration and would make the problem worse because not only would illegal immigrants be undocumented, their American-born children would be too. “The worst part of it is you end up with potentially millions of children who are stateless, who were born here and have no ties to any other country, yet they’re not considered citizens or part of the United States.”

Deal, who has submitted his bill to the House Judiciary Committee, said he’s not optimistic about it becoming law this year unless it is tacked onto another bill.
“I think the current makeup of the Congress is such that this will never get a hearing and will never be an issue that we get a chance to vote on....[b]ut I think it’s important to keep the issues that are part of the immigration problem alive.”

What you think important, Deal, is to keep your name in the news as free advertising for your campaign. Why not focus on what you can change, not what you can't.

Asshat.